Experiment
by beastfan
Summary: I always had a problem with Sweets keeping the truth about Booth from Brennan. I mean, what was he thinking? (Very short. First ff in AGES) Yes, Bones is mine...along with property on the moon and an apartment at the top of the Brooklyn Bridge. Don't know why people keep insisting I need meds...
1. Chapter 1

"Noooo!"

The cry tore through the gathering of friends waiting anxiously in the surgery waiting room. No matter how deep their grief, Temperance Brennen's was infinitely deeper still.

They all knew she and Seeley Booth were close, but no one there understood just how far inside her walls he had slipped in the past three years...until now.

The thud as her knees hit the waiting room floor drew them all to her side in a flash. Angela and Jack each took an arm to help her to her feet and back to one of the hard plastic chairs.

Angela wrapped her arm around her shoulders as Brennen desperately tried to regain control of her emotions. But, oh, how she hurt! If only the reality of the doctor's words were a horrible mistake she might be able to draw a breath. Right now she felt as though she was not drawing in enough oxygen, that she might black out at any second.

Far down the hall, behind the double doors marked "Authorized Personnel Only", Deputy Director Cullen stood with Seeley Booth's contact list in his hand. The plan was to let everyone, except his closest family, believe he was dead in order to draw out a criminal Booth had chased for several years only to have the man disappear. Word had reached the Bureau that he would make an exception for Booth's funeral. This was a most opportune time to put the plan into action and see if the man would put in an appearance. Cullen looked at the list in his hand. "Thank goodness Dr. Brennen's name is at the top of the list!" he thought. The anguish in her cry was unmistakable. "Just partners, my eye!" he snorted to himself. The sound of the staff elevators opening caught his attention and Dr. Lance Sweets exited, coming down the hall at a fast walk.

Cullen quickly brought Sweets up to speed on the plan and handed him the list of names Booth had recited a few minutes previously. It had taken a while to get him awake enough after the surgery to remove the bullet, bone splinters, and repair the torn muscle to get him to understand Cullen's plan. He would only agree on the condition that the people most important to him were told, namely Brennen, his son Parker and Parker's mother Rebecca, his brother Jared, and his grandfather. Booth had grabbed Cullen's wrist and made him promise they would be told. Cullen passed the list to the psychologist with instructions to notify each one.

As Cullen turned away to answer his phone he missed the calculating look in Dr. Lance Sweet's eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Lance Sweets had a thoroughly relaxing weekend. Before he left for the night Friday night he spent a few minutes making the phone calls that Director Cullen had asked him to make for the sting planned for fugitive the were hoping to lure in. He spoke with Booth's grandfather and told him about the plan. Hank Booth got a chuckle out of setting up the man, then he told Sweets to tell Booth to give him a call when he was feeling better. Next on the list was Booth's brother, Jared. The connection wasn't great, and he ended up leaving a voice message and his phone number. Last he phoned Rebecca. the two discussed the potential upset for Parker. Rebecca was very concerned that someone would tell him, or he would hear it accidentally. A trip to spend the weekend with her parents seemed just the ticket to keep Parker occupied. While there she would take the time to explain the "trick" Daddy was playing to catch the bad man.

His obligations done, Sweets had headed home for a quiet evening in front of the TV. He ate takeout from a burger joint he had hit on the way home and watched two soccer games. After the second game he checked the time and decided he had better head to bed as he had plans for the weekend. He slept like a log.

Saturday afternoon he and Daisy took in a movie - a nice light romantic comedy that Daisy picked out. After that they stopped by a little shop Daisy knew and picked up a picnic basket and ate it on the floor of her living room. The lights were low, soft music playing. They finally got around to eating supper at midnight.

Sunday afternoon was spent playing a short four hour RPG at his favorite comic shop. He was quite pleased with his run of luck, adding 3 more levels to his new avatar.

Once back home he took a quick shower and sat down on the couch with his laptop and several reference books. It was time map out his planned experiment and decide how to document his observations of Dr. Brennan's reactions to the death of her partner. His mind had been flitting back to his plan off and on since he left the hospital Friday night. It was time to map out his strategy. He was certain her ability to compartmentalize would make a fascinating study. Perhaps he could even get published. He couldn't rest on his laurels of attaining his doctorates by age 22.

Even though he was undeniably brilliant, he never once considered what he had done to the woman with trust and abandonment issues when he decided to pull her supports from under her.


End file.
